Who knew that there was a cute dog boutique tucked away in Earlham Street just near the Donmar Theatre in the heart of Covent Garden? It’s been there nearly a whole year and I bet you’ve admired the funky graffiti design display outside without venturing inside….
So today I popped in. Primarily to admire the assorted dog costumes. As an aside, I laugh in the face of those who say that dogs shouldn’t be dressed up! It’s like saying girls only need one pair of shoes! Most dogs I know that are lucky to have owners who indulge them in costumes and other foibles lavish more love on those dogs than most people do on their kids. But I don’t put Alfie in outfits as he tends to rip them up – see, they tell us if they’re not happy!
Anyway, amongst the racks of practical coats to keep out the cold and the rain there are some really cute costumes. Apparently, the shark outfit (£35) is a best seller – although I was rather fond of the alligator (or is it a T Rex?), ladybird, panda and the caterpillar costumes. For the more macho inclined there were skateboarding, pirate and emergency rescue outfits.
The ground floor is small but packed with an assortment of good quality dog foods (including Lilly’s and the natural snacks we wrote about recently), collars (love, love, love the rainbow bow tie version) – many of which are functional and stylish rather than blingy. I also really liked the plain black collars with little metal stars as decoration. There were stripy and spotty bowls and lots of toys. Orange was a dominant theme – I especially liked the squeaky lobster (£10.50).
There were also some rather smart pet carriers (£220) as well as some more everyday rucksack-like affairs. Venturing upstairs you discover a – predominantly pink – area of dog beds. I was surprised that some of the novelty beds – like strawberries, mushrooms, racing cars and football pitches – had prices around the £40 mark. There was also a good selection of ordinary cushion type beds – with various size options.
It was the innovative yeti sleeping bag (£59) that I almost bought. White and fluffy with small eyes, you can prop open the mouth a little so your dog can snuggle down inside. Anyone with a Chihuahua knows that these little guys prefer to burrow – it would be perfect for my Alfie. It’s on his Christmas wish list.
The co-owner I met was delightful and told me that he doesn’t bring his white miniature schnauzer into the store too often as he gets restless. Bless. Visitors include locals as well as tourists and apparently there a fair few nearby office workers who take their dogs to work.
http://www.bowwowlondon.org/
